The last time the city reached the 500-homicide mark was in 2008, when the year ended with 512 killings. Last year, city records show Chicago had 435 homicides.

On Thursday, officials with the Chicago Police Department said the city was one homicide away from the 500 mark. Hours later, a 40-year-old man was fatally shot in the Austin neighborhood on the city's West Side. Police say Nathaniel Jackson was found on the sidewalk outside a convenience store with a gunshot wound to the head late Thursday.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office says Jackson was pronounced dead at County Stroger Hospital early Friday. Jackson's death remains under investigation. No arrests have been made.

#1
People can hurt each other with kitchen knives and darts or live in peace with pistoles, its not what is on-hand it is the culture, and culture is the sum of x daily decisions, and its almost like the leaders are unable or unwilling to solve problems. But hey, its easy to be brave inside of a castle.

#4
Of those 500, how many were children?
...then again, being a member of a Democratic special interest group and dying in ones and twos at a time, in one of the most gun restrictive towns and states, doesn't grant the machine more power, so you're expendable in the great scheme of things.

#8
While doing away with the hastati, we have Chicago, who gives the whirlance of tipping over within 24 hours. Perhaps der liberalgrafters could get the photo they want, chinooks evacuating VIPs from soldier field.

#9
In other news, Santa Claus was shot and killed from stray gunfire over the skies of Chicago on Christmas Eve. An unidentified number of sacks were lost and pawn shops are to be on the lookout for Large Red Bags.

A British man has been checked in at the Gray-Bar Hotel after reportedly stealing a car and driving it on to the runway of Amsterdam's Schiphol airport while smashed."Delta Bravo Sierra, you are cleared for takeoff."
"Negative; there's a beauzeau on the runway."
The unnamed passenger was on the Dutch airport's runway 'for a few minutes', police said."November Uniform Tango, get off this runway immediately."
The Briton pushed an emergency exit button at a gate before making off with and in a contractor's car parked on the tarmac.

Police spokesman Dennis Muller told the AFP news agency the incident had taken place in the early hours of Christmas Day."Wassail, wassail/All over the tow-own/And then when we're drunk we/Will dri-ive all around..."

Just reading the words, one can tell it wasn't the slightest bit tuneful.

'He drove around for a few minutes but at no point was there any danger to flight traffic. There aren't many flights on Christmas Eve and there were none at all at the time he took the car,' he said.

Mr Muller added: 'We're investigating exactly where he went in the car. We don't know why he took the car, these are things you do when you've had one over the eight.'Must have seemed like zomg-teh-best-idea-evar at the time.

"Here, hold my beer."

He admitted it would 'take a while [for the man] to get back to his senses'.

'We'll interview him about what he's done and then it's up to the prosecutor to decide what to do with him,' he said.

Amsterdam's Schiphol is the fourth-largest airport in Europe with between 120,000 and 140,000 passengers every day.

#3
I think the only way to address BP's link would be to warn investors, if that word is still legal in the UK, of a possible scheme and story to clear his name of the theft knowing full well he would be accused of racism before monetary mishandling. I would demand an investigation and proof because it sounds like an embezzlement scheme or a writ large indictment of liberal economics. Take a pick.

[An Nahar] After more than a month in hospital battling bronchitis, former U.S. president George H.W. Bush has taken a turn for the worse and is in intensive care with a "stubborn fever," a front man said Wednesday.

"He's had a series of setbacks now that have landed him in guarded condition in the intensive care unit," front man Jim McGrath told Agence La Belle France Presse.

"Early last week it was really looking good, but then it seemed a couple of dominoes started falling and it was taking us in the wrong direction."

The 88-year-old was first admitted to Methodist Hospital in Houston on November 7 for bronchitis treatment and released on November 19. But he was readmitted on November 23 after his cough flared up once more.

#2
So do I - my father passed on two years ago this week, after having a month-long case of walking pneumonia. Then they discovered an underlying heart condition which had been going on for years, and those dominoes suddenly fell all in the wrong direction.

#8
Advisor said to "Put the harps away". So I'm not looking for him to die quite yet. Though I didn't particularly like how he fumbled everything away to Clinton. I feel alot of scorn mixed with admiration for the guy.

[An Nahar] A young Tunisian died after winning a bet to eat 28 raw eggs in one sitting, Shems FM radio reported on Wednesday."What we have here is a failure to communicate...""I can eat 29 eggs...""Cheez, why not a round number, like a dozen?"
Dhaou Fatnassi, 20, from the central town of Kairouan, swallowed the eggs after his friends challenged him to do so for an undisclosed sum of money.

The young man then experienced stomach pains and was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

#10
Human here... now how do I know about you? So answer my test... OBAMA IS:
a) The greatest president ever.
b) Unbelievably lucky that the Rep. party had no body better than mediocre to run.
c) The greatest defender of the constitution todate.
d) Going for the presidential record for most taxpayer money spent for vacation.
e) both b and d

[Al Ahram] Nader Bakkar, the official spokesperson for the Salafist Nour Party, announced during a national dialogue with the Egyptian Federation of Tourist Chambers on Wednesday evening that the party will not take any decision for a period of one year in the coming People's Assembly (the lower house of parliament) that might damage the country's tourism sector.

Bakkar explained that the Nour Party is calling for a new initiative to overcome the current economic crisis "by endorsing a political truce for a specific period, which could be a year, during which the government, presidency and various political forces can execute an agreed upon legislative and economic agenda for an economic renaissance."

He also pointed out that this step will be sufficient enough to reactivate the economy and to resolve the tourism crisis in the current period.

Bakkar made it clear that it is not possible for an official to close a crucial and ongoing activity like tourism, affirming that a balance may be struck between the party's principles and the country's economic requirements.

Salafist Nour Party confirmed that they will not close down beach tourism since it is an essential part of tourism in Egypt.

A number of party representatives, the minister of tourism, and the head of the Egyptian Federation of Tourist Chambers attended Wednesday's meeting.

Last week, Elhamy El-Zayat, head of Egyptian Federation of Tourist Chambers, told Ahram's Arabic-language news website that since the 5 December festivities between opponents and supporters of President Mohamed Morsi at the presidential palace, Egypt has been losing 250 million dollars on a weekly basis.

He also expressed concern...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended... at the low tourist figures seen in Egypt this Christmas holiday.

[Al Ahram] Around 10.5 million tourists visited Egypt in the first 11 months of 2012, a 17 per cent increase on the same period last year, Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou said Wednesday evening.

During a meeting with the Tourism Chamber of Commerce, Zaazou told industry professionals and news hounds that tourism generated some $9.4 billion in 2012, a slight increase over the $9 billion seen in 2011.

Despite the increase, such figures are still well below the $12.5 billion the sector generated in 2010, the most successful year in its history.

Minister Zaazou blamed political unrest and violent festivities that followed President Mohamed Morsi's constitutional declaration of 22 November for the unimpressive performance of the industry.

"Occupancy rates have dropped by about 25 per cent due to the current state of affairs in Egypt," Zaazou explained.

The month of December usually marks the beginning of the peak tourism season in Egypt. But early indicators are disappointing. The News Agency that Dare Not be Named reports that arrivals this month are down 40 per cent from November while industry officials complain of slow business.

"We are in the middle of the season and some hotels in certain areas are nearly empty," Elhamy El-Zayat, head of the Egyptian Tourism Federation, said.

El-Zayat explained that many establishments have cut their prices significantly to lure in tourists and that this is taking its toll on revenues. "In some places you can get a room for the night plus three meals for just $15. No wonder that many companies are just unable to pay their employees," he said.

The tourism sector was dealt painful blows following the 2011 popular uprising that unseated former president Hosni Mubarak...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011.... The ensuing security vaccum drove tourists away and left the foreign currency earning industry at a near halt.

The sector was projected to stage a strong comeback in 2012 following the coming to power of an elected president in summer and the political stability this was supposed to ensure.

"We had expected a rebound to normality by the end of this year, but we are still stuck at 2011 levels," Mohamed Essam, an operator at Tiran Tours in Cairo, told Ahram Online.

Tourism accounted for 10 per cent of Egypt's economic activity during the final years of the Mubarak era. The industry employs some four million people, more than 10 per cent of Egypt's total workforce.

The drop in tourist activity coincides with rough economic conditions Egypt is increasingly facing. Last Monday, Standard and Poor's (S&P) downgraded Egypt's credit rating to junk level, casting strong doubts on the ability of the state to meet its obligations. On Tuesday, it downgraded three major Egyptian banks, citing their heavy exposure to government debt.

These troubles reflect a lack of trust in the Egyptian economy, especially after a $4.8 billion loan deal was indefinitely postponed due to the political unrest in the country over the new constitution.

In the past few weeks, the Egyptian pound lost 1.5 per cent of its value to the dollar, reaching the level of LE6.19 to the dollar. A black market has been reported to have reappeared.

"Tourism is one of the main nerves of the Egyptian economy; it saves the country from possible crises. We just need stability," Zaazou added.

#3
Why, when I could just go stand in a burnt hedge row and be home for edible food.

I think the pure islamist way would be to require each visiting meccadome to bring five pounds of wax, and like big mo would have done, carry it by foot and in hand to piously place on any pyramid. Only the truly devout can do it, so I anticipate the islam way of not even trying it. If a mere christian dog can do the stations of the cross, surely the men of pure can take a short walk.

[Magharebia] Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali on Thursday (December 27th) appointed a new governor for the restive region of Siliana, Tunsisie Numerique reported. Montassar Jarray was named to replace Ahmed Ezzine Mahjoubi.

The move follows a general strike held by Siliana residents to demand that Mahjoubi be fired for "incompetence". The protest degenerated into five days of violent festivities before the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) reached a compromise deal with the government on December 1st.

[Pak Daily Times] An Islamist minister quit Egypt's government on Thursday, the second cabinet resignation this week, as Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi tries to shore up his authority and gather support for unpopular austerity measures.

An economic crisis and a battle over a new constitution have underlined bitter divisions between Islamist-backed Morsi and his liberal opponents and delayed a return to stability almost two years since a popular uprising.

Rivals accuse Morsi, who won Egypt's first freely contested leadership election in June, of polarising society by foisting a divisive...politicians call things divisive when when the other side sez something they don't like. Their own statements are never divisive, they're principled..., Islamist-leaning constitution on the country and using the autocratic ways of his deposed predecessor Hosni Mubarak...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011...Deadly violence preceded a referendum on the basic law, dealing a blow to a struggling economy. Morsi's political rivals refused to accept the result -- the text won about 64 percent in the vote -- and they reject his call for national unity talks.

In a move that may pre-empt a planned reshuffle, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Muhammad Mahsoub announced he was quitting because he disagreed with the slow pace of reform.

"I have reached a clear conclusion that a lot of the policies and efforts contradict my personal beliefs and I don't see them as representative of our people's aspirations," he said in his resignation letter, which has yet to be accepted by the prime minister.

Neither were major figures in the cabinet but their decision to criticise the substance and style of Morsi's administration suggests his decisions are unnerving not just opponents but also some allies.

Earlier on Thursday, a Christian member of Egypt's upper house of parliament, Nadia Henry, quit a day after the Islamist-dominated chamber took over legislative authority under the new constitution.

The charter crafted by an Islamist-dominated assembly is meant to be the cornerstone of a democratic and economically stable Egypt after decades of authoritarian rule. The opposition says it does nothing to protect minorities.

Morsi says the constitution and an upcoming vote to re-elect the lower house of parliament will help end squabbling among feuding politicians.

He and his Moslem Brüderbund allies say ordinary people are fed up with street protests that often turn violent and want the government to focus on urgent bread-and-butter issues.

The strife has cast doubt on the government's ability to push through the spending cuts and tax hikes needed to secure a vital $4.8 billion International Monetary Fund loan.

The Egyptian pound tumbled to its weakest in almost eight years against the dollar this week as people rushed to withdraw savings from banks.

Egypt's defence chief said the army -- which dominated Egypt for decades and has wide ranging business interests -- was ready to step in to help the economy.

"The Egyptian economy is going through a very difficult stage," Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was quoted as saying by state news agency MENA. "The armed forces are keen to participate in development and service projects in all parts of Egypt as part of its promise to serve the great people."

The South African government has sought to clarify remarks by President Jacob Zuma that angered dog lovers.

Mr Zuma was quoted as saying at a rally on Wednesday that having pet dogs was part of white - not African - culture.

But presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said Mr Zuma was simply warning against loving animals more than humans beings. He said Mr Zuma's main message was the need to "decolonise the African mind" in South Africa, where white-minority rule ended in 1994.

South Africa's Mercury newspaper reports that Mr Zuma told thousands of supporters at a rally in KwaZulu-Natal province that people who spent money on buying a dog, taking it to the vet and for walks belonged to white culture.

There was also a new generation of young Africans who were trying to adopt the lifestyles of other race groups, Mr Zuma said.

"Even if you apply any kind of lotion and straighten your hair you will never be white," Mr Zuma was quoted as saying.

[Pak Daily Times] President Francois Hollande...the Socialist president of La Belle France, and a fine job he's doing of it... said on Thursday that French troops would not interfere in the internal affairs of its former colony the Central African Republic, where rebels have seized a large chunk of territory in recent weeks.

"If we are present, it is not to protect a regime, it is to protect our nationals and our interests, and in no way to intervene in the internal affairs of a country, in this case Central Africa," he said. "Those days are gone."

His comments came a day after hundreds of protestors demonstrated in front of the French embassy in Bangui, angry over what they say is Gay Paree's inaction in the face of the rebel advance.

La Belle France has around 250 soldiers based at Bangui airport providing technical support to a peacekeeping mission run by the central African bloc ECCAS, according to the defence ministry in Gay Paree.

[An Nahar] The U.N. is evacuating staff from the Central African Republic and the U.S. has warned its citizens to leave as rebel fighters close in on the tense capital Bangui.

La Belle France also deployed troops to protect its embassy after it was attacked by demonstrators calling for the former colonial power to help push back the rebels who have already seized several towns in the north of the resource-rich but poverty-stricken nation.

The United Nations...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... on Wednesday ordered more than 200 non-essential staff and families of other workers to leave.

"The temporary relocation is a precautionary measure to reduce our presence in the event the security situation further deteriorates in Bangui," U.N. front man Martin Nesirky said.

The rebels' "contradictory messages and their continued military offensive seem to indicate that they might be intent on taking Bangui," he added.

Washington expressed "deep concern" and warned all Americans to leave the country "until the security situation improved."

State Department front man Patrick Ventrell also said the ambassador had "authorized the departure of family members and non-emergency personnel from our Embassy in Bangui as a result of increased rebel activity in the north central part of the country."

With President Francois Bozize's government now largely restricted to Bangui, Chadian troops sent last week to help the increasingly fragile regime are the only real obstacle to rebel forces now sitting about 300 kilometers (200 miles) away.

"We call on all the sons and daughters of Central Africa, on all members of defense and security forces still loyal to Francois Bozize's regime... to lay down their arms immediately," said a statement from the Seleka rebel coalition after capturing its fourth major town in a month.

"For reasons of security and protection of civilians, we no longer consider it necessary to wage the battle for Bangui and to send our troops there as General Francois Bozize... has already lost control of the country," it said.

The Seleka coalition is made up of rebels who say the government has not honored peace accords signed between 2007 and 2011 that offered financial support and other help for gunnies who laid down their arms.

[Pak Daily Times] Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday pardoned eight people allegedly incarceratedDrop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! for political reasons in the ex-Soviet republic regularly accused of rights violations, state media said.

Among those freed were human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... campaigners Vivadi Iskandarov and Taleh Khasmammadov, state news agency AzerTaj said. Also pardoned was Anar Bayramli, an Azerbaijani citizen working as a news hound for Iranian television who was incarceratedDrop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! on drugs charges amid tensions between Islamic but officially secular Baku and neighbour Tehran. The others set free included an opposition party member and religious activists in the mainly Moslem country, which has sought to prevent the rise of Islamic radicalism and is a partner in the NATO...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all....-led mission in Afghanistan.

The prisoners were pardoned as part of an amnesty of 87 people, although dozens more alleged political prisoners remain in jail, including Hilal Mamedov, a newspaper editor and rights activist. The Azerbaijani authorities led by strongman Aliyev have often been accused by international rights groups of silencing dissent, persecuting journalists and jailing opponents.

#3
Which would you rather have; a disability finding (after 4 years of fighting) of 30% and $45. per month tax-free income... or a few million dollars in an up front, out of court settlement? They made a calculated business decision. Not one I admire or agree with, but a business decision not unlike that many make when entering the military these days.

[An Nahar] Greece's four biggest banks need 27.5 billion euros ($36.4 billion) in recapitalization funds by the end of April, the national central bank said in a report released Thursday.

$36 billion? Bank of America and Citigroup eat that for lunch...

"Capital needs for all Greek commercial banks were estimated in May 2012 at 40.5 billion euros, of which the 27.5 billion euros corresponded to the four core banks," it said.

The four banks, identified as the National Bank of Greece (NBG), Alpha, Eurobank, and Piraeus, will receive support from the state because they are considered crucial to the national banking sector. A dozen smaller banks are to be recapitalized with private funds, also by the end of April, the national bank said.

"The Greek banking sector was severely hit over the past few years by the combined effects of the restructuring of Greek sovereign debt and adverse economic conditions, both of which affected banking assets and deposits," the central bank's report explained.

Its assessment of the bank's recapitalization needs over the 2012-2014 period was "conservative" it said. A key factor behind the needs was a restructuring of Greece's sovereign debt, it said, which hit Greek banks hard because they held large amounts of sovereign bonds.

The banks were also expected to suffer losses on both domestic and international loans.

According to the central bank, the main objective of its "comprehensive banking sector strategy is to secure a well-capitalized and viable banking sector."

#4
I'm beginning to detect a pattern Glen. It's a giant monopoly game! When they (the gummit) finally wins and owns everything, they will reshuffle the cards, move everyone back to "GO", and start the game anew.

#1
The move, which has seen thousands of retired Germans rehoused in homes in eastern Europe and Asia, has been severely criticised by social welfare organisations who have called it "inhumane deportation". (Emphasis mine - RbR)

You have to admire their (ahem) sense of tradition, though, don't you?

[Pak Daily Times] The Indian government said on Thursday it will post the photos, names and addresses of convicted rapists on official websites to publicly shame them, in a new measure to combat growing crime against women.

Ratanjit Pratap Narain Singh, India's junior home minister, said the campaign would begin first in New Delhi, where the brutal gang-rape of a student on December 16 by six drunken men has sparked nationwide protests.

"We are planning to start it (the campaign) in Delhi," Singh told news hounds, hours after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said women were being treated unfairly in India.

"Photographs, names and addresses of the rapists will be uploaded on the Delhi Police website (http://www.delhipolice.nic.in)," he said.

"We are very serious about dealing with the problem and taking all possible action as early as possible." The minister said the government-run National Crime Records Bureau had been told to prepare a directory of convicted rapists and upload their photographs and personal details to its official website (http://ncrb.nic.in) as well.

The announcement came a day after India said it had launched a judicial probe into the attack on the 23-year-old student who was dramatically airlifted to Singapore from a hospital in New Delhi late on Wednesday. Her drunken attackers, joyriding in a bus, raped the student and then assaulted her with an iron bar. The savage gang rape sparked some of New Delhi's largest mass protests in decades. India has also promised to toughen laws against rape, which currently carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

[Pak Daily Times] Doctors in Singapore battled Thursday to save the life of an Indian student who sustained horrific injuries in a gang-rape after she was dramatically airlifted overnight from a hospital in New Delhi.

As India's prime minister vowed that the attackers of the 23-year-old would face swift justice, medics at Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital described her condition in the intensive care unit as "extremely critical".

"She is being examined and the hospital is working with the Indian High Commission (embassy)," the hospital added in a brief statement. The Indian government, which is paying for the woman's treatment, approved the decision to transfer her from Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital where she had been treated since the December 16 assault on a bus in the centre of the capital. Visa arrangements were also fast-tracked to enable the victim's relatives to keep watch over her in Singapore.

"The hospital and the family have requested that the privacy of the patient and the family be respected," said a statement from the high commission.

According to police and prosecutors, six men took turns to rape the woman and assault her with an iron bar, leaving her with intestinal injuries, before they threw her out of a bus that they had taken for a joy-ride.

While doctors in Singapore did not give details about the treatment she has received since her early morning arrival, their counterparts at Safdarjung said Mount Elizabeth had been chosen as it has a multi-organ transplant facility. BD Athani, medical superintendent at Safdarjung Hospital, told news hounds the woman had already undergone three operations in New Delhi.

"With fortitude and courage she has survived the after-effects of the injuries so far but her condition continues to be critical," Athani added. The gang-rape has prompted widespread street protests in India, not only in revulsion at the savage nature of the attack but also because it tapped into simmering anger at the level of violence against women.

Official figures show that 228,650 of the total 256,329 violent crimes recorded last year were against women, with the number of rapes in the capital rising 17 percent to 661 this year.

Gang-rapes are reported on a daily basis, with police revealing on Thursday that a 42-year-old woman had been found overnight dumped on a road in southeast Delhi after she was gagged, sedated and then raped by three men.

[Pak Daily Times] Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has said that PPP Chairman Bilawal Baby Bhutto Zardari,...Pak dynastic politician, son of Benazir Bhutto and grandon of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. As far as is known, Bilawal has no particular talents other than being pretty and being able to memorize political slogans ... who is taking the helms of Pakistain People's Party (PPP), will lead the caravan of the nation and democracy and reinvigorate the PPP workers.

Talking to news hounds on the occasion of the fifth death anniversary of slain PPP chairwoman and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto... 11th Prime Minister of Pakistain in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996. She was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder of the Pakistain People's Party, who was murdered at the instigation of General Ayub Khan. She was murdered in her turn by person or persons unknown while campaigning in late 2007. Suspects include, to note just a few, Baitullah Mehsud, General Pervez Musharraf, the ISI, al-Qaeda in Pakistain, and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who shows remarkably little curiosity about who done her in..., the prime minister said that those who have gathered at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh trusted Pakistain People's Party. "They trust the mission of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto...9th PM of Pakistain from 1973 to 1977, and 4th President of Pakistain from 1971 to 1973. He was the founder of the Pakistain Peoples Party (PPP). His eldest daughter, Benazir Bhutto, would also serve as hereditary PM. In a coup led by General Zia-ul-Haq, Bhutto was removed from office and was executed in 1979 for authorizing the murder of a political opponent... and the struggle, vision and sacrifice of Benazir Bhutto," he said.

"Today the mission of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto is in the hands of the people through democratic means," the prime minister said, adding that it had been acknowledged by the world that power was being transferred to the masses on the anniversary of Benazir Bhutto.

Raja said that the transfer of leadership has been taking place in the Bhutto family and "today Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will take the leadership in his hand".

Bilawal will take the mantel to carry forward the mission of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto towards achieving the end, for democracy and prosperity of the country, the Prime Minister said.

"Today the the image of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and training of President Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari... husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in ... will appear before the masses in the person of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari," the Prime Minister said. Bilawal is also highly educated and has completed his higher education from top international universities, he added.

"Bilawal will lead the caravan of the nation and the democracy," Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said.

The Prime Minister said Bilawal was bred by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto herself. He has witnessed political exile and adversity. He experienced the seclusion from his father who was in prison for eight years.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the PM said "has the ability to lead the party and the nation". He will reinvigorate the PPP workers by bringing in his new thought, courage and zeal to the party. "He will infuse a new siprit among the party workers," Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said.

[Pak Daily Times] Pakistain People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday formally launched his political career at a mammoth public gathering held here to mark the fifth death anniversary of his mother and former premier, late Benazir Bhutto... 11th Prime Minister of Pakistain in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996. She was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder of the Pakistain People's Party, who was murdered at the instigation of General Ayub Khan. She was murdered in her turn by person or persons unknown while campaigning in late 2007. Suspects include, to note just a few, Baitullah Mehsud, General Pervez Musharraf, the ISI, al-Qaeda in Pakistain, and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who shows remarkably little curiosity about who done her in..., and vowed to continue her fight for democracy, and reconciliation policy of the incumbent PPP government.

Speaking at the big public meeting in front of Bhuttos' mausoleum, Bilawal said his party still owns the slogan "Roti, Kapra aur Makaan" (food, shelter and clothing). Bilawal spoke in fluent Urdu for over half an hour for the first time, in an emotional way very similar to that of his mother. His address drew much attention and response from the masses gathered to listen to him. He was the only speaker to whom people listened silently and responded with zeal. His father, President Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari... husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in ..., and the top PPP leadership were present on the occasion.

Bilawal also chanted the slogan "Tum kitne Bhutto marogay, har ghar se Bhutto nikle ga" in an emotional way similar to that of his mother. He also added two new names in the slogan -- Malala Yousufzai and Bashir Bilour. In his first major public speech of his political career, Bilawal also criticised the judiciary for not showing interest in reopening of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto...9th PM of Pakistain from 1973 to 1977, and 4th President of Pakistain from 1971 to 1973. He was the founder of the Pakistain Peoples Party (PPP). His eldest daughter, Benazir Bhutto, would also serve as hereditary PM. In a coup led by General Zia-ul-Haq, Bhutto was removed from office and was executed in 1979 for authorizing the murder of a political opponent...'s reference and making progress in Benazir Bhutto's liquidation case.

He sarcastically said that judges had the time to take notice of soaring sugar prices and CNG rates and hearing petitions on the Kalabagh Dam, but do not have time to consider high-profile murder cases of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto. "Is providing justice your job or running the government affairs," he asked. He said that Taliban-like forces were strengthened in a country where law and justice were missing. He also talked about "conspiracies" his party and his father, President Zardari, experienced during the current tenure of their government.

He said that conspirators remained silent when military dictator Gen (r) Pervez Perv Musharraf... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... was in the Presidency in military uniform, and they did not want to see an elected president in the country.

The PPP chairman said that the people who tried to block his mother's way were still aiming to eradicate democracy, sometimes on the pretext of memogate scandal and sometimes by fabricated cases.

[An Nahar] Iran has ordered domestic airlines to take off half an hour after pre-dawn Mohammedan prayers, the website of country's civil aviation organization quoted its chief as saying on Wednesday.

"According to a directive we issued to the domestic airlines, from now on the airlines will be authorized to take off at least 30 minutes after the morning Azan (the pre-dawn call to prayer)," civil aviation chief Hamid Reza Pahlevani said.

He said the decision was taken "so that passengers can fulfill their religious duty of prayer."

Iran has practiced Islamic sharia law since its 1979 Islamic revolution. Iranian carriers do not serve alcoholic beverages nor non-halal food on either domestic or international flights.

On long-haul flights, in-cabin monitors also show the direction of Mecca, to which Mohammedans turn at prayer.

Pahlevani also reiterated the requirement that all flight crew and ground personnel observe the Islamic dress code.

On Iranian airlines, all air hostesses wear a headscarf and long coat, and air stewards do not wear ties as they are deemed a symbol of Western culture.

All women in Iran beyond the age of puberty, regardless of their nationality or religion, are required to cover their hair and much of the body. Those who do not abide by the dress code risk arrest.

[An Nahar] The Lebanese Army command said Thursday that troops tossed in the clinkYouse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! several suspects involved in a shootout between two clans in the eastern city of Baalbek.

"A dispute between residents of the area of al-Sharawina over family affairs turned into a shootout with light weapons" on Wednesday night, an army communique said.

Upon learning about the incident, a military force threw a tight security dragnet and raided the houses of the shooters, arresting several suspects, it said.

Soldiers also seized light weapons, ammunition, military hardware, drugs and several "illegal" cars during the raids.

The communique added that the suspects were handed over to the appropriate authorities to take the necessary action.

The National News Agency reported on Wednesday night that the shootout erupted when a man from Shuqair family opened fire on the house of a man identified by his last name as Solh.

Later, members of Solh family pursued the assailant and opened fire on him without causing casualties. They also set fire to his abandoned house.

A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.